New Statehouse fence displaces bus riders

For COTA riders looking to hop a bus at Broad and High streets, the wait appears to be (mostly) standing room only now.

For COTA riders looking to hop a bus at Broad and High streets, the wait appears to be (mostly) standing room only now.

A wrought-iron fence is going up around three sides of the Statehouse, including atop the short walls that face Broad and High streets. Those walls typically are dotted with people waiting for Central Ohio Transit Authority buses. Now, seating will be limited to bus shelters.

The fence is a shorter replica of one that was installed in 1873 and taken down in 1964, when the parking garage beneath the Statehouse was built, he said.

About 1,000 feet of fence will go up on the Broad, High and State street sides of Capitol Square, Stedke said, but normal entrances on all three sides will remain open. The fence costs about $378,000.

The state legislature has asked for a committee to look at issues related to Ohio's gasoline tax, but if the panel decides that an increase is warranted, members should not look to the Ohio Department of Transportation for support.

ODOT Director Jerry Wray said this week that the department has learned to live within its means, and it has a record slate of construction projects to prove it. The agency has $2.3 billion in construction projects on the 2013 schedule.

"We're able to do that, and it's being done within the operational efficiency of the department," Wray said. "We've not asked for a gas-tax increase, nor am I a proponent of that."

Ohio hasn't raised its share of the gas tax since 2005, when it hit 28 cents a gallon. Since then, the number of gallons the state has taxed in a year has hovered between 6.4 billion and 6.9 billion. That produces about $1.8 billion a year for state projects, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation.

And if that committee comes up with an alternative to gas-tax funding?

"I would have to see what's being proposed," Wray said. "I think all of that discussion is much in its infancy."

A company that trains the blind to work with guide dogs is making the rounds at public meetings to object to the removal of traffic signals near the business. But the city says its hands are tied.

Representatives of Pilot Dogs Inc. said at the Columbus Transportation and Pedestrian Commission meeting this week that the company uses nearby traffic-light crossings to train students and their dogs, but those signals no longer are usable.

Pilot Dogs Executive Director Jay Gray said the intersections that are proving problematic are Town and Grub streets, Town and McDowell streets, Rich and Gift streets, and Rich and McDowell streets.

The city says the signals at those intersections now just flash because the traffic counts do not justify a functional light. Those counts are dictated by state and national standards and give the city no wiggle room, said Patti Austin, city planning and operations administrator.

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan

@Crawlumbus

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.